As the name suggests Ray Bradbury Stories Volume 1 is
the first in a two volume set that ranges from his earliest published work to his later
years. Volume 1 covers the years 1943 through to 1980, and has one hundred of
Bradburys short works in it.

Ray Bradbury, along with his contemporary Isaac
Asimov, is probably the quintessential science fiction short story writer. Unlike Asimov,
whose stories were science-driven affairs where people were often cyphers for the logical
progression of the story, Bradburys stories are character-driven to the point where
fundamental science is often ignored (most glaringly in his Mars series where, without the
aid of terra-forming, people breathe the atmosphere of Mars). But this lack of science
seldom detracts from the stories themselves, which are about the way ordinary people try
to live ordinary lives in the most extraordinary of situations.

With some of the stories in this volume having not appeared in an anthology before I
have come across some personally unknown gems, in particular the stories Bradbury sets in
Ireland; such as "The Anthem Sprinters" and "The Terrible Conflagration up
at the Place". I could well imagine these appearing as one-off plays on Sunday night
TV.

This is a marvellous work and I whole heartedly recommend it. If I have any complaints
about the book they are that the liner notes do not make clear if this is an attempt at
the complete Bradbury stories or not, and the sheer weight of the book, which at 970 pages
and close to a kilogram, is not suitable (except for those with Herculean shoulders) for
late night reading in bed  to lose control of this tome could result in concussion
if not a bleeding nose; but given Bradburys skills as a storyteller, these are risks
worth taking.